


I'm Your Hell (I'm Your Dream)

by bemynewobsession



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, you can blame the discord for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-23 10:04:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18547570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemynewobsession/pseuds/bemynewobsession
Summary: The Lodge as PTA moms with a side of Philippa/Triss





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I lied. Philippa/Triss is the driving factor of this story. My thanks to all in the discord who I bounced ideas off of.

“Hmm?” Triss looked up from her cocoa belatedly, realizing she’d just ignored everything Yennefer had just said.

Yennefer sighed and rolled her eyes. “Triss, I asked if you would come to the Parent-Teacher association meeting tonight.” The dark haired woman took a sip of her own coffee and leaned back into her seat.

“Ciri has been suspended from school again and I’m going to give the Principal a piece of my mind. She knows as well as I that Ciri never starts those fights.” Keira, Yennefer’s sister-in-law, who always insisted on tagging along on these ‘Mom Dates’ even though she could barely tell her twins apart from how little time she spent with them, snickered.

“Yenna,” Keira started. “I’m sure Ciri starts _some_ of those fights. She’s quite the scoundrel.” Yennefer bristled at the comment and opened her mouth to curse at Keira before she was interrupted by Jaskin, Triss’s son, asking to go to the restroom.

Triss smiled at her six year old. He was everything to her, even if his birth had precluded her from experiencing a ‘normal’ high school career. “Sure baby. Yenna, Keira, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Triss was eager to not be around whenever Yennefer yelled at Keira. She still couldn’t fight that feeling in her stomach she got whenever Yennefer yelled or bossed people around.

The chestnut haired woman and her son reached the bathrooms in the park. They were single stall and separated into men and women. Triss squatted to look Jaskin in the eye.

“Now Jas. You are a big boy now so I trust you to go potty on your own. But if you need to, we can use Mama’s stall together.” Jaskin looked around nervously for a moment.

“Iss okay Mama. I use the boy’s room by myself like I do at school.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, whispering an ‘okay’ into his ear as she pulled away. She smiled at him and opened the men’s stall for him, her heart warming proudly as he puffed up his chest like the ‘big boy’ he was when he walked in.

“Have you thought more about what I said Triss?” Triss couldn’t fight the jump that came through her system at Yennefer’s sudden closeness. She put a hand on her heart as though to quell its racing. “Gods Yenna! Don’t scare me like that!” Yennefer simply gave her what Triss lovingly referred to as her ‘Devil’s Grin’.

“Come now Triss. Your magic should have been able to sense me. Besides, you didn’t answer my question.” Triss blinked for a moment before remembering their conversation at the park tables. “The PTA meeting. Right.” Triss looked to Jas’s stall.

“I can go with you Yenna. Ciri can watch Jas right?” The boy in question walked out of his stall then. “All done Mama!” Triss opened her arms to him and he nuzzled into her chest. “But of course,” Yennefer responded.

“Ciri loves your little maniac.” Yennefer smiled at Jas gently as she said this. For all the dark haired woman’s jests at both Triss and her son, Triss never once doubted that Yennefer loved them both, Jas in particular.

It had been stupid of Triss to sleep with Istredd as a teen. Some part of her thought it would bring her closer to Yennefer, her tutor at the time, in some way. When Istredd left and Yennefer got back with Geralt, _again_ , Triss had discovered that she was pregnant.

Yennefer took her under her care without question. The older woman seemed to have some sense of responsibility to both Triss and any possible child of Istredd. Jas had been born during a particularly hot summer between Triss’s junior and senior year.

Geralt’s friend, Jaskier, had helped to deliver her son and so Triss named him after the flamboyant man. Which really only made Jaskier’s head even larger than it already was.

Triss was brought out of her musings by Keira walking up to them, tentatively as though she was going to make Yennefer more angry by simply being there.

“Oh Yenna just wait until she meets Phil. Triss, you’re going to simply love the leader of the PTA meetings.” Triss didn’t enjoy the conspiratorial, knowing look that Keira was giving her. Who was this man, Phil? Yennefer all but growled at Keira’s remark.

“Please. Noone ‘simply loves’ Phil. Woman is cruel to everyone but her daughter.” Wait. _Phil is a woman?_

“What sort of name is ‘Phil’ for a woman?” Yennefer fixed her with a look as though to say _Really? That’s your burning question?_

Keira piped up. “It’s a nickname sweetie, it’s short for Philippa.” “Yeah! Ms. Eilhart is a righteous bitch!”

“Ciri!” Yennefer scolded her daughter who had meandered into the conversation shortly after Keira. The dark haired woman raised a gloved finger at the ashy haired girl. “I’ve warned you about using that sort of language! Especially around Jas!” Ciri had the sense to shrink back slightly at her mother’s words.

“Heh. Sorry Aunt Triss. Sorry Jazzy.” The eleven year old said sheepishly.

“Better watch your tongue tonight darling. You’ll be watching Jas while your mother and I go to the PTA meeting.” Triss moved her gazed from Ciri back to the girl’s mother. “What time does that start by the way?”

The older woman looked at her watch. “Oh, about ten minutes.” Triss open-mouth gaped at the violet eyes in front of her.

“T-ten..Yenna the school is 45 minutes away!” Yennefer scoffed at the younger woman’s claim. “Not by portal dearest. Ciri, you take Jas with you to the apartment while Keira, Triss, and I go to the meeting.” Ciri pumped her fist. The girl was always ready to use her power to open her own portal.

A off-green portal opened just behind the girl. “C’mon Jas!” Triss’s son leaned away slightly so he could look at his mother.

“Do I hafta Mama? Can’t I go to this PPA meeting with you?” Triss ran her fingers through her son’s hair. “It’s PTA darling, and no, it’s for grownups only.” She walked him over to Ciri and her portal.

“Be good for Ciri, alright?” Jaskin nodded enthusiastically. Triss nodded at Ciri and let the girl take her son’s hand and together they walked through the portal.

“Let’s go Triss. I got your Starbucks cup.” Yennefer’s voice rang through the air, as well as the tearing sound of a portal opening. Triss walked through the portal alongside the two older women.

The sight of the school met them on the other side. _Novigrad Proper_ was a small K-12 school, so there were parents of vastly varying ages walking through the door. Triss was still, by and large, one of the youngest. She had learned on the first day of school that most of the Kindergarten parents had had their child at the age Triss was now.

Triss walked up the steps of the school and into the building. The PTA meeting must have been surprisingly popular, given how many parents (mothers mostly) were there.

“The meetings are held in the library, come now.” Yennefer ushered both women to the library at the end of the hall. The three women were just barely able to grab seats next to each other. The room was filling up rapidly.

“Be sure to silence your phone Triss,” Keira whispered loudly as Triss pulled her phone out to a text from Ciri with a picture of her and Jas playing Mario Kart already. “Phil doesn’t like being interrupted.” Triss tapped the icon to put her phone in Airplane mode. No use in risking anything.

“Alright, it seems everyone is here.” A sharp, posh, voice echoed through the library. The sound of it had the noisy crowd quieting down almost immediately. Triss looked up from her phone. A stunning woman of about thirty with dark brown hair and piercing dark eyes was standing at the podium.

Everything in Triss froze.

“That’s Philippa.” Triss felt her mouth open and close like a dumbass before replying to Keira. “Sh-she’s, well, she’s,” Triss cut herself off before she could say _prettier_ “shorter than I expected.”

“Ah, yes, Phil has always been a touch-” “Yenna.” It was Philippa who interrupted their conversation. Triss winced and turned bright red in embarrassment. Yennefer hadn’t ever learned how to actually whisper.

“Yenna. Please do shut up so we may begin.” The older woman at the podium punctuated her sentence with a wave of her hand around the room. Yennefer huffed and crossed her arms, pouting slightly in her chair.

The meeting went on then without much of a hitch. Philippa lead the talks from everything to curriculum to cracking down on the Seniors using portals to jump from class to class so they could make out with their significant other as long as possible. Before Triss knew it, the hour for the meeting had passed.

She had barely heard what was actually said. She had been focused on watching Philippa and her face the whole time. The end of the meeting was punctuated with most everyone standing and Philippa saying “There is food against the wall if anyone wants any.” Triss was one of the last to stand up.

“Triss, Keira, excuse me a moment. I must go and speak to Principal de Vries before she jumps on her married man of the hour.” Yennefer all but sprinted over to the older blonde.

“I must take my leave as well Triss, Lambert has been messaging me non-stop since the meeting started. The babies need me. Enjoy the food though.” Triss blanched as she realized she was now alone.

She made her way to the food table. It was mostly simple finger foods and desserts. She eagerly picked up and took a large bite out of a brownie.

“I’ve never seen you here before. Are you the sister of a student?” Triss felt herself choke slightly. The woman she’d been laser focused on for the past hour was now standing before her. Triss cleared her throat of the brownie that had been caught in her throat.

“Ah er no. My son is a Kindergartner. Jaskin Merigold. I’m Triss.” She stuck her hand out, realizing too late that it had melted chocolate on it. Philippa shook it anyway.

The older woman pulled away and looked at the chocolate that had been transferred to her thumb. Triss watched, transfixed, as the older woman’s lips wrapped around her thumb to remove the dark substance.

Triss swallowed, _hard_.

“So why have you not attended a meeting before then? The first semester is nearly over.” Triss coughed and attempted to find her voice. She was suddenly keenly aware of how even though Philippa was literally looking up at her, she felt as though she was at least a foot smaller than the woman in that moment.

“W-well I am much younger than most of the p-parents and” “That’s no excuse. If you care about Jaskin’s education. You should be at every PTA meeting.” Triss nodded her head exaggeratedly, something in the back of her mind wanted to immediately acquiesce to whatever this woman said.

“I expect to see you at the rest of the meetings Mrs. Merigold. Bring your husband too. To at least one.” Triss could swear she caught a whiff of tequila as Philippa spoke.

“Oh, I don’t have a-” “Triss! We’re leaving! NOW!” Yennefer stormed over to Triss and grabbed her arm. The raven haired woman paused for only a second to acknowledge to leader of the PTA. “Phil.” “Yenna.”

As she was being dragged away, Triss looked over Yennefer’s head to wave at Philippa. “I-it was nice to meet you!” Turning red as she realized she had said it loud enough to catch the attention of half of the parents left in the room.

Yennefer threw open a portal the minute they left the school building, half-heartedly attempting to obey the school’s _No magic by anyone in the main building_ rule. Triss was yanked through the portal by the arm Yennefer had a tight grip on.

They were suddenly in Yennefer’s house. “Ugh. The NERVE of that woman!” Yennefer yelled out as soon as they were there. “She tried to claim Ciri gave some boy a black eye for no reason! I’m _sure_ my daughter had plenty reason to give some 14 year old boy a black eye!”

Geralt was seated on the couch Yennefer had just thrown herself on, drinking a beer. “C’mon Yen,” The white haired man patted his girlfriend’s leg. “She’ll let Ciri back into school after winter break. The boys and I can teach her until then.” Triss leaned over the couch on her elbows. “Yennefer I’m going upstairs to grab Jas and go home.”

The raven haired woman waved her hand to acknowledge Triss’s remarks and then launched into another tirade about Principal Tissaia de Vries. Geralt simply nodded and kept patting Yennefer’s thigh.

Something in Triss was glad she hadn’t decided to sleep with Geralt in her foolish teen years. Not that the man wasn’t handsome or anything, he just gave off such….submissive energy Triss doubted that between the two of them they would have gotten anything accomplished.

Triss knocked on Ciri’s open door to let her son know she was there. “Mama!” Her son ran into her arms and she picked him up with ease, planting him onto her hip once they were done hugging.

“Did you and Ciri have lots of fun?” “Yeah! I beat her twice at Mario Kart!” Ciri’s slightly irritated look at his words had Triss thinking Ciri hadn’t intended on letting her son win anything. “Alright darling it’s almost past your bedtime so say goodnight to Ciri and let’s go.” Her son waved goodnight to the young girl and Triss turned and opened a portal behind her.

She didn’t usually use magic so casually, but Yennefer’s voice was growing ever louder and Triss simply wanted to be home.

She and her son made it into their small apartment. She plopped him into his bed and gently kissed his forehead goodnight.

Triss tossed and turned that night, fighting off her mind replaying the image of Philippa’s lips around her own thumb over and over. Her stomach flipped at the thought of seeing the older woman at the next PTA meeting.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missed PTA meetings and coffee dates

Triss would be lying to herself if she tried to claim that her thoughts didn’t often drift back to Philippa Eilhart. The petite woman had consumed her mind for the past week.

She consumed Triss’s thoughts even more today, the day of the next PTA meeting. Thoughts of the meeting and of the PTA leader distracted her well enough that she missed her boss walking into her office.

“Merigold!” Sigismund Dijkstra was an abrasive man a constantly scrunched face and a nose that had been broken a few too many times. He was the owner of Reuven Legal, the legal counsel firm where Triss worked.

“Merigold I _told_ you twice already that this contract needs to be looked over and corrected by _this afternoon!_ You’ve barely done a page!” Triss could feel her face flush at her boss’s complaint. She had been so busy daydreaming she hadn’t realized it was nearly 11:30. The contract needed to be done by 1.

She had 14 pages left.

“I’m sorry Mr. Dijkstra I jus-” “Save your excuses! Vegelbud!” Albert Vegelbud, the newest young legal aide at Reuven, popped his head through the door of Triss’s office.

“Yes Mr. Dijkstra?!” Dijkstra grimaced at the young man’s pitched voice.

“Vegelbud I need you to assist Merigold in completing this document. Don’t need to make an enemy of Cleaver any time soon.” Albert nodded enthusiastically and sat down across from Triss at her desk. Triss just sighed and handed him a page to take care of. It was going to be a long day.

It was nearly 2:30 by the time they got the contract done and nearly 8:00 before Dijkstra let them go for the evening. She had missed the PTA meeting. There was only one more before the semester ended for winter.

Triss knocked on the door of Yennefer and Geralt’s apartment at 8:30. Anxiously shuffling back and forth on the balls of her feet. She always hated missing Jaskin’s bedtime.

Geralt’s brother, Eskel, opened the door. She was surprised to see him until she remembered Geralt had volunteered himself and his brothers to teach Ciri while she was suspended. The three of them were renowned bounty hunters and as such could take as much or little work as they needed.

Eskel waved her in and motioned upstairs.

“Hey Triss. Little man is already asleep. He wore himself out playing swords with Geralt.” Triss smiled softly at that. Jaskin loved his uncle Geralt, especially when the man taught him tricks.

She made to go up the stairs and was greeted by Yennefer near the top. Yennefer stood two steps above Triss with her arms crossed in evident irritation. “You’re late Triss.” Yennefer’s annoyance was quite apparent in her voice.

“I’m so sorry Yenna. Mr. Dijkstra had us going until almost 8 taking care of contracts.” Yennefer relaxed her shoulders some at the tiredness in Triss’s voice. Triss made her way up the next steps and stopped when the raven haired woman was still a step above her. The half foot Triss had on the older woman made them eye to eye.

“I understand you have a job Triss, but please let me know if you are going to be this late again. I worry.” The last sentence was punctuated with a warm hand on Triss’s shoulder.

Triss touched the hand on her shoulder and made her way into the guest bedroom Yennefer had set up for Jas. Her son was fast asleep in the bed. Triss leaned down slowly and picked him up, careful not to wake him.

“Triss, I’m also sorry you had to miss this week’s PTA meeting. You had been talking about it nonstop.” Triss smiled solemnly back at Yennefer.

“I can always make the next one.”

 

Triss made extra sure to be diligent the next week so that she’d be sure to make this meeting. She pumped her fist when she was able to clock out at 6:15 the night of the meeting. She had nearly an hour to make it there.

She stopped by Starbucks first and got her favorite hot chocolate. She was at the school at 6:45, which gave her the means to sit in the front row to get a clear view of the podium.

When there was five minutes until the meeting started, Keira appeared next to her, standing next to her chair.

“Triss. Nice to see you here.” Keira had a warm smile across her face. Triss recognized it as her drunk smile.

“Keira! Are you drunk?” The blonde just hmmed softly before plopping down next to Triss on the floor. Triss rolled her eyes and looked up to the podium. She wondered, not for the first time, why Keira even came to these PTA meetings when her twins were only at the daycare at the school.

At exactly 7:00, Philippa Eilhart walked up to the microphone. Triss felt her body naturally sit taller, her spine straightening itself to focus in rapt attention on the dark-haired woman speaking.

Triss tried to focus on what the woman was actually saying this time and managed to catch that there was going to be a fundraising bake sale after winter break.

The sale would be mid-January to “catch those who would have broken their New Years Diet” as Philippa said.

_A bake sale could be fun. Who doesn’t like brownies and cookies?_

After Philippa’s announcements and talks, Principal de Vries stood up to take the podium. Philippa sat down behind her.

Triss’s eyes followed Philippa unwittingly. As the principal droned on about suspended students and the like, Triss couldn’t help but notice dark eyes at the front of the room fixed on her.

Triss felt herself do a double take. She glanced back at the podium before chancing another glance at the woman seated behind it.

There was no doubt this time. Philippa was _watching_ her. Or otherwise studying her in some way. Unabashedly.

Triss blushed furiously and forced herself to watch the podium for the remaining twenty minutes, mindful of how the dark eyes were still on her.

After the meeting was over, she slowly made her way over to the food table. It was where Philippa had come up to speak to her before, perhaps she’d do it again.

Triss had almost given up before an accented voice pierced through the air.

“Mrs. Merigold!” Philippa stopped just in front of her. “Mr-mrs. Eilhart.”

“Mrs. Merigold I do believe you missed last week’s meeting. And I also believe I recall mentioning that you should bring your husband to the next meeting you attended.”

Triss felt herself blush for what must have been the tenth time that night under Philippa Eilhart’s gaze. She also unwittingly dropped her head slightly.

“O-oh well. I’m not actually married. So it’s Ms. Merigold. O-or Triss if you prefer.” The older woman seemed taken aback momentarily before a look came across her face that Triss couldn’t identify. Yet, the look made heat shoot to her core.

“No. I suppose you are not,” The older woman delivered in a low voice.

She watched as Philippa gave her a once over. _Am I dressed wrong? Is that why she was staring at me all night?_

“I must have you know that I am not married either _Triss_ so you may call me Ms. Eilhart. Or Philippa if _you_ prefer.” Triss gulped slightly. Something about the way Philippa was forming her words made her stomach flutter.

Triss opened her mouth to speak again, but a woman moved in next to Philippa before she could get another word out.

“Phil. We need to talk about who Driah is going to be staying with this weekend.” Philippa’s entire demeanor changed when the woman spoke. She was another equally beautiful woman, just barely taller than Philippa.

It seemed by the way they looked at each other that there had perhaps been something between them.

“Sile. It’s rude to interrupt someone’s conversation. But I can’t deny that you are right. Forgive me _Triss,”_ her name again delivered in such a way that Triss couldn’t fight a subtle shudder. “I must attend to this. I will see you at the next meeting after break?” Triss’s head nodded enthusiastically without her permission.

Philippa nodded in return before heading outside with the other woman. _Sile_. Triss’s mind supplied.

Triss wondered that night while she was washing dishes, what exactly the woman’s affiliation with Philippa was.

 

The next morning was a busy one at Reuven Legal. The front desk secretaries had gone on strike over unreasonable hours so the legal aides were stuck serving in the role.

After filtering the 17th call in 20 minutes from angry men yelling about how Cleaver had gotten an unfair portion of the gang contract in his favor, Triss leaned back in her chair and blew out a hard breath and looked at the clock. It was only 8:00am. She prayed that the rest of the day would pass by more quickly.

“Excuse me?” A soft, young voice interrupted Triss’s musings. There was a little girl at the front of her desk, no more than nine.

“I’m Alixandriah. My mom sent me through a portal to meet my mama here. Is she here?” Triss blinked away her surprise at the young girl’s eloquent speech. She also noted the girl looked vaguely familiar before asking her who her mother was.

“My _mom_ is Sile de Tancarville. My _mama_ is Phil-” “Driah!” Philippa Eilhart was suddenly in front of her desk as well. “Hi mama!”

_Sile...Driah...those were two names Philippa mentioned at the meeting last night. Sile was the woman who led her away to discuss living arrangements for…._ Triss looked up to find twin sets of dark eyes looking at her.

Triss suddenly connected the dots. Driah must be Philippa’s shared daughter with this Sile.

“Triss. I had no idea you worked for Sigi.” Triss chuckled nervously. “Yeah I normally work in the back offices as a legal aide.” Philippa nodded slightly.

“I must say Triss, we have yet to have a full uninterrupted conversation. Perhaps I can treat you to some coffee after I drop Driah off at school?” Triss barely had time to sputter out a “Sure,” before Philippa replied. “Wonderful. I shall see you at 9.”

As Philippa and her daughter walked away, Triss was hurt with a sense of longing for her son. The school day didn’t start until 8:30, but Triss had to be at work every morning at 7:30, forcing her to put Jas in the early morning Kid’s Club at the school. She wished she could simply walk him as Philippa could with her daughter.

The next hour passed by as slowly as it possibly could, with Triss vetting 37 more angry calls. She was on one such call when Philippa walked through the door again at five minutes passed the hour.

Triss tripped over her acquiescing words to the man on the phone as she watched the woman walk up. _Was her hair shinier than it had been this morning?_

“Yes Mr. Wiley I suppose Cleaver has sucked more of the right dick in this town than you have. Perhaps you could take up your issues with him rather than Mr. Dijkstra’s secretary.” Triss held the phone away from her ear as the man’s voice picked up volume considerably. She finally transferred him to her boss after a solid minute of listening to the man rant.

“Cyprian Wiley I take it?” Triss nodded to Philippa. “That man is the largest whoreson in town. Right after his father.” Triss snickered embarrassingly at the remark.

There was a momentary pregnant pause where the two of them just looked at each other before Philippa put her hands together.

“Right, well. Ready for some coffee?” Triss felt her face fall slightly. “Oh I’m sorry Philippa. My boss wouldn’t let me take a break _now._ Not with so muc- what are you doing?” The older woman had reached over to Triss’s phone.

“What’s Sigi’s extension?” Triss held up two fingers.

Philippa quickly dialed then hit the two key. Triss could hear it ring several times before Dijkstra’s gruff _what?_ echoed over the receiver.

“Sigi. I’m taking Triss Merigold out for a break. Have a nice morning.” The man could be heard beginning to argue, but Philippa simply hung up on him.

“Alright let’s go Triss. There is a coffee shop just around the corner.” Triss got her things together quickly and followed the older woman out the door.

_Perhaps now would be the time to tell her I don’t drink coffee?_

The small coffee shop was a simple whole in the wall Starbucks wannabe. There was no line so they both walked right up to the barista.

“Triss, how do you take your coffee, I’ll buy you a cup.” Triss gulped. “I don’t drink coffee actually.”

Philippa looked at her for a moment almost incredulously.

“I saw you drinking out of a starbucks cup at the PTA meeting last night. Whatever were you drinking if not coffee?”

Triss looked away, embarrassed.

“It was hot cocoa.” The older woman was clearly fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

She turned to the barista.

“One _hot cocoa_ for my friend here and a 3.5 shot espresso caramel mocha latte please.” The barista took Philippa’s gold coins before turning around to make their order.

He handed the drinks over quickly and Philippa took one sip before handing it back.

“This is 4 shots. I said 3.5. Please make it again.”

Triss drank her cocoa nervously. The older woman hardly made a scene, but Triss was the type to rarely fight with a server or barista with their jobs.

Philippa took the next cup and drank another sip. “Ah. Yes much better. Come now Triss, let’s get a table.”

Triss popped a ten crown note into the barista’s tip jar before moving to where Philippa had sat.

Philippa was adding some sort of liquor to her coffee.

Triss coughed slightly as she sat down. She remembered smelling tequila the first night she had met Philippa.

After she finished adding the liquor, Philippa began drinking her coffee, eyeing Triss over the rim of her cup. Triss nervously sipped her cocoa.

“So tell me Triss, how long have you worked for Sigi?” Triss set down her cocoa tentatively, worried she may spill it with how her hands shook.

“I graduated from school eight months ago. I’ve been working for Mr. Dijkstra for about six.”

The older woman continued to sip at her drink.

“I see. And you said you are normally a legal aide? No wonder I have never seen you before. I myself am often in and out of his front offices.” Triss smiled internally at the ease in Philippa’s tone.

“May I ask why you need his help so often?” Philippa waved her hand before claiming “Custody battle for my daughter and eggs. My ex and I technically both own the magical eggs used to bless us with our daughter.”

Triss gave a look of sympathy. It was not uncommon to hear of female couples combining their magic to create an egg of both their genetic materials.

As Triss focused again on Philippa’s face, she noted a slight shimmer of one of her eyes. _An illusion?_

“Forgive me for asking Philippa,” dark eyes looked up. There was a definite illusory shimmer.

“Is there a reason your left eye is illusory?” The older woman’s eyes closed and Philippa chuckled darkly.

“Darling,” Triss sucked in a breath at the name

The older woman leaned in conspiratorially. “ _Both_ my eyes are illusory.” A gasp sprang from Triss’s lips, unbidden.

“What happened?” Triss asked comically loud. “Er, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“Oh of course not. You caught the illusion. You deserve to know.” Philippa ‘looked’ away wistfully before starting. “Years ago, I got caught up in a literal regicide plot. I was innocent and the courts later proved as such but not before the son of the king who had been killed became convinced that I was the mastermind and rather than kill me, he gouged out my eyes.”

Another gasp from Triss.

“Don’t worry about me darling, advanced magicks has gifted me with eyes that look like my own that help me to see nearly perfectly,” She laid a hand down on Triss’s and Triss found her eyes stuck on the touch of their hands together.

“Where did you learn magic Triss? Not just anyone can spot an illusion like that,” Philippa claimed in a lowered voice.

“Yennefer Vengerber is one of my closest friends. She has helped raise Jaskin.” Triss’s study of their hands on the table drew her eyes to her watch. It read 9:30.

She sprang up, noticeably startling the woman in front of her. “Oh! I must return to work or Mr. Dijkstra really will have my head.” She looked down apologetically to find the other woman’s heady gaze on her.

“You may be right darling,” The older woman stood and put a hand on Triss’s elbow as though to lead her. “Let me walk you back.”

They walked back side by side in comfortable silence.

Just before they reached the front doors of Reuven Legal, Philippa turned Triss to her.

“Triss, I’d like it if we saw one another again before the next PTA meeting. Maybe we can take dinner together this weekend?” Triss smiled back at the older woman. “Sure. Friday night? Geralt usually takes Ciri and Jas bowling on Fridays.”

Philippa smiled softly in return. “I’ll pick you up at 7 then.” They parted ways then and Triss grinned madly the whole way back to her desk.

She was half-way through typing up a report for Dijkstra before a thought shot through her mind and she sat up straight suddenly, gasping though there was noone in the room.

_Was dinner with Philippa on Friday a_ **_date_ ** _?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know your thoughts as always

**Author's Note:**

> Come see me at my tumblr @theodoracrain-s


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